A Tennessee man has admitted killing a woman, dismembering her body and then "eating part of the victim".

Gregory S Hale was arrested on Sunday night at his home near Manchester and was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, Coffee County District Attorney Mickey Layne said.

According to his arrest warrant, Hale told authorities he beheaded his victim - identified as 36-year-old mother-of-two Lisa Marie Hyder - cut off other parts of her body and placed them in two buckets before burying her torso in a bonfire.

The 37-year-old also admitted to "eating part of the victim", according to the warrant.

Mr Layne said: "I have been here as assistant DA or DA a lot of years, but this is the first homicide offence of its kind during my tenure here, and I came in the '70s."

Officers were alerted to the killing after Hale asked for help from a neighbour to dispose of the body, Sheriff Steve Graves told WSMV TV.

When they arrived at Hale's home, they found the remains of the victim on the property.

Hale was being held on a $1.5m bond. He will appear in court on June 23.